Internet yellow pages are a useful tool for finding a particular entity, e.g., business, or finding a type of entity in a selected region. Some contemporary Internet yellow pages permit a user to direct a search to a particular region, such as a ZIP code defined region, a city, or a state (a “bounded query”). The results of the search identify a business or a particular number of businesses if the query is numerically limited, that have a physical presence (e.g., office) or a mailing address within that particular region.
Another search may be directed to businesses located closest to a particular proximity (a “proximity query”), for example all businesses within 10 miles of a selected location. A proximity query may be defined by a latitude and longitude on a map, and may be limited by a defined radius or number of listings, e.g., the ten closest businesses meeting the search criteria. A user may enter an address or ZIP code, and business listings are returned, usually listed in order of closest proximity to the entered location. If the user enters a ZIP code for the location search, a single address may be used for the ZIP code, such as a central location within the ZIP code, the location of the post office within the ZIP code, or a midpoint between multiple post offices.
One problem with these systems is that a merchant that services a particular area, but does not reside in that area, is not found in a bounded query directed to the area. In addition, the service merchant does not have a physical address in the area that can meet the criteria for returning a listing in response to a proximity query. For example, some mobile businesses (e.g., plumbers) service an area but do not have a physical office in the area. A bounded query directed to the area (e.g., directed to a particular ZIP code) does not return a listing for the mobile business. Likewise, a mobile business listing most likely is not returned in response to a proximity query, because there are likely other businesses that have a closer physical location than the business office for the mobile business. The listings for closer businesses are returned in response to the proximity query. In some circumstances, the closer businesses may not serve the location upon which the proximity query was based, but have their listings returned because their business offices or mailing addresses are closer than the business offices for some merchants that do serve the area.
As another example, a delivery business (e.g., pizza delivery) may deliver items or services to a region in which the business does not have a physical presence. Still another example is a regional or territorial business that may have one office per a given region (e.g., one office in a city), but may service a much larger area (e.g., the entire city). A final example is a business without any physical presence, such as an online business. The online business may only service particular regions, such as a grocery delivery service that only delivers to a particular city. None of these merchants would be found in a bounded-query search directed to the region unless the business office for the merchant was in the region, and would not be returned in response to a proximity query unless the business office happened to be located close enough to the location upon which the search was based.